Dicksonia sellowiana
| Dicksonia sellowiana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Pteridophyta |
| Class: | Pteridopsida |
| Order: | Cyatheales |
| Family: | Dicksoniaceae |
| Genus: | Dicksonia |
| Species: | D. sellowiana |
| Binomial name | |
| Dicksonia sellowiana Hook. | |
Dicksonia sellowiana, the xaxim, or samambaiaçu or samambaiaçu-imperial, is an arborescent fern. Belongs to the family Dicksoniaceae, native to the Atlantic Forest and Central America. In Brazil it is found in the states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. Dicksonia sellowiana has an erect and cilindric caudex, reaching sometimes more than 10 metres (33 ft) high, the fronds are bipinnate and 2 m (6 ft 7 in) long. Due to illegal extraction, the species is at risk of extinction.
Dicksonia sellowiana is variable in its form. Variations are sometimes treated as separate species, these include:
- Dicksonia sellowiana var. ghiesbreghtii
- Dicksonia sellowiana var. gigantea
- Dicksonia sellowiana var. karsteniana
- Dicksonia sellowiana var. lobulata.[1]